Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Reaches New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $25.64 and last traded at $25.3940, with a volume of 58619 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $24.44.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Compass Minerals International from $20.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Compass Minerals International in a research note on Wednesday. Compass Point set a $22.00 price objective on Compass Minerals International in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Zacks Research raised Compass Minerals International from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Compass Minerals International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Compass Minerals International currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $22.00.

Compass Minerals International Trading Up 4.7%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.55. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $20.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $19.52. The company has a market capitalization of $1.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -13.33 and a beta of 1.17.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 8th. The basic materials company reported ($0.17) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.15) by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $227.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $223.72 million. Compass Minerals International had a negative return on equity of 8.22% and a negative net margin of 6.42%.Compass Minerals International’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.77) EPS. Research analysts predict that Compass Minerals International, Inc. will post -0.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Compass Minerals International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in Compass Minerals International by 95.0% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,363 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 664 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in shares of Compass Minerals International during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of Compass Minerals International during the third quarter valued at about $60,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its position in shares of Compass Minerals International by 37.6% during the second quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 3,967 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 1,084 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Compass Minerals International in the second quarter valued at about $83,000. Institutional investors own 99.78% of the company’s stock.

About Compass Minerals International

Compass Minerals International, Inc is a global producer of essential mineral-based products, primarily known for its salt and plant nutrition portfolios. The company’s deicing salts are used by municipalities and commercial customers across North America to maintain safer roadways in winter months. In addition, its water conditioning salts serve both residential and industrial users, supporting water treatment systems that remove hard minerals to protect plumbing and equipment.

Beyond conventional salt products, Compass Minerals has developed a specialty plant nutrition business focused on sulfate of potash (SOP), a premium fertilizer that provides both potassium and sulfur to crops.